The Thrill VS. Staying Out of Harm's Way

[Stormy]

I am 3 months into my first RIB (20 footer to us Yanks) and still learning. I am not sure of sea conditions in the UK, but I am on the Bay of Fundy in the Atlantic Ocean. I have rarely seen the sea without 1-2 meter rollers or 1-2 meter haystacks. Even the bays seem to always have the wind running against the tides (20 foot tide swing).

I have been reading the previous posts in the archives and have a question regarding balancing wave jumping, WOT, and flipping a RIB. The consensus of the posts in the archive seem to indicate that flipping a RIB in excess of 6 meters would most probably be a result of putting yourself in seas that one should not be in and operating the boat in an unsafe manner. Balance that senario with the thrill of wave jumping and running WOT.

I am experimenting with wave jumping and find the thrill is addictive. I am also getting to the point where I believe the RIB can do most anything I ask of it. After reading the archives, it sounds like I may be setting myself up for disaster.

I am in a very remote area where a "toss in the drink" would probably result in a body retrieval vs. a rescue. I am also without the benefit of other RIB owners around to "watch and learn" and am not sure where to draw the line between "thrill and safety".

Any comments or suggestions to help me avoid the mistakes and errors or others would be appreciated...



.

[codprawn]

The Bay of Fundy? Believe you have the world record highest tide which is rather annoying as the Bristol Channel along the Welsh coast has bigger tides most of the time!!! To make matters worse the Atlantic funnels straight into the West coast of Wales which makes for some pretty dodgy conditions - winds are often over 130mph with rain to match!

RIBS are very popular in the UK as they cope so well with the rough and varied conditions - I would have thought your sort of location would make them just as useful.

[codprawn]

By the way don't forget to post some photos!!!

[Rogue Wave]

I am probably not the best to advise on slowing down, but get some training from an experienced ribber. Does The coastguard do training courses out there.

if you do cock it up at speed it would be good if you had the proper equipment on you..

where a dry suit (with a comfort zip).
always use the Kill cord carry a spare on the boat.
reduce the amount of steelwork in front of you
make sure that everything is tied down. you dont want to be hit in the head or chest with the anchor as you are leaving the boat
carry a personal flare
keep your mobile phone in an aquapac
Lifejacket (probably best having an Auto)
Consider wearing a Helmet
Fit footstarps

Always test your kill cord whilst under way at least once a journey. They can fail.

practice getting yourself back in the boat whilst in the company of a friend.

it's quite safe to climb up the back of an outboard that is switched off. you can also straddle the outbaord and use the tilt switch to pull yourself up out of the water

[Stormy]

Thanks for the geography lesson, I was not trying to get in a "pis_ing" contest but rather looking for some thoughful insights from experienced RIB owners. Care to offer any thoughts on personal experience? Regards...

[Rogue Wave]

Oh yeah make sure you have some way of keeping your self warm when you get back in the boat. you can best avoid flipping by jumping off following seas and not head seas

[Stormy]

Thanks for the tips. I have tried to prepare for the unexpected but the temptation to throttle up is ever present. You seem to appreciate the delicate balance; I would prefer to learn the easy and dry way from the experience of others. Regards//

[Rogue Wave]

sadly I've tipped over the delicate balance a couple of times

[Richard B]

The only thing I would add to Wave's comprehensive and sensible advice is that in a remote location you might want to consider carrying a personal EPIRB like one of these: http://www.mcmurdo.co.uk/?Menu=17&Pa...ts.asp&ID=1026

[tim griffin]

Hi Stormy
yes it is addictive apart from all the other advise is make sure someone knows when you will be back , then if it does go all pear shaped then at least they can start a search for you, sounds like fun where you are , no doubt you have come close a couple of times to scaring the crap out of your self , but that is your learning curve where do you launch from beach or slipway is it sheltered and any pictures of the wave sets , and their frequency would be good, do you have any rips (tides) along their as they can be fun take care
regards Tim
www.griffmarineservices.co.uk